It’s been several years since Jill Duggar cut off contact with her parents.
And if there was ever any hope for reconciliation, Jill pretty much burned it to the ground by appearing on camera in the recent Amazon Prime documentary Shiny Happy People.
The documentary exposed Jim Bob Duggar’s bizarre beliefs, as well as the culture of abuse that he created in his home.
In a courageous interview, Jill detailed being forced to give birth on camera and coerced into giving interviews in which she defended her eldest brother, who had repeatedly molested her.
In one of the film’s most surprising moments, Jill admitted that despite everything she’s endured, she still loves her parents and hopes that she can one day have a relationship with them.
That hope was reflected in her Father’s Day Instagram post, which mostly consisted of photos of her husband, Derick Dillard.
In a surprising twist, however, the final photo of the carousel showed Jim Bob holding a very young Jill.
While Jill penned a lengthy tribute to Derick, she kept her comments regarding Jim Bob very brief, writing:
“Also happy Father’s Day to my dad @duggarfam love you so much and hope you had a lovely day!”
Jill deserves a world of credit for offering an olive branch to a man who doesn’t deserve such a gesture, but while the comments were mostly supportive, quite a few trolls accused her of publicly disrespecting Jim Bob:
“He’s a good man,” one commenter wrote.
“You just never stop loving your momma or your daddy! It’s unconditional,” another added.
“I luv this picture of them. First picture I’ve seen of Jim Bob giving a hug such as this, it’s beautiful to see him holding Jill, I could feel the love between these two,” a third chimed in, adding:
“Pray it can be this way again one day!”
The Amazon doc appears to have changed some minds, as the comments weren’t as harsh as the ones found on Jill’s previous post, which was an announcement of her upcoming memoir.
“I can’t help but feel bad for your parents. I cannot imagine my children writing tell-all books about family. Here’s the thing Jill, NO family is perfect. Not one,” one hater fumed on that post, adding:
“And yes, while most do not have reality TV shows, you would also not have the opportunity to profit from your story.”
“Be prepared for your own children to write a book about your failures. I have mixed feelings on this. The enemy loves to destroy families,” another seethed.
“When will this ever end? Why can’t this family just figure their personal crap out in private?” yet another ranted.
Thankfully, the Father’s Day post received many comments from people pointing out that Jill is being the bigger person by acknowledging her dad at all.
“You’re a better person then me how you said happy Father’s Day to your dad I wouldn’t of done that but I’m glad you have a husband who takes really good care of you and your boys,” one fan observed.
“Great post until the last pic. I’m sorry, your father is an awful father and person. It’s sinful that he calls himself a Christian,” another noted.
We’re sure that Jill expected a great deal of controversy when she set out on her current path.
But it’s a small price to pay for the freedom she now enjoys.
Jill Duggar: Blasted By Fans For Shading Jim Bob on Father’s Day! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.